While the Toronto mayoralty race is dominated with talk of congested roadways and transit building, the Internet is central to Lee Romanov’s platform.

“Getting Toronto Online & In Line,” the flaxen-haired entrepreneur offers as a campaign slogan. Thinking ahead, Romanov, several years ago, bought the domain MayorofToronto.com as ground zero for her online campaign.

Romanov acknowledges she is a dark-horse candidate. “I know I am not known in politics,” she says.

She has extensive experience in business and is promising to bring her Internet marketing skills to city hall, which she claims is losing out big time in the online world.

“The city has the potential of making millions of dollars from click ads, exactly like Google does daily,” says Romanov. That revenue could be put towards community projects, she adds.

The following is a transcript of an interview with Romanov condensed for length), part of a series the Star is running to introduce readers to long-shot candidates:

How should the city be using the Internet?

The city’s website should operate like Google, promoting Toronto’s businesses, artists, culture and events. The city’s website should also operate like YouTube, allowing businesses and Torontonians to upload their videos. These two ideas alone would bring in millions of dollars in revenue for the city. The city should also be showing our unemployed how to make money online. However, the city doesn’t even know how to do it themselves.

Would you include some of the mayor’s infamous videos on your proposed website?

Sure. Rob Ford videos have made YouTube millions from people watching them and clicking on the ads. This is money the city could have made if they had their own YouTube site. The city doesn’t realize the power it has.

You describe yourself as a self-made multi-millionaire. So you aren’t running because you need a paycheque?

No. I’m not looking at it as a job but as an opportunity.

Do you have a campaign manager? Volunteers?

No. But when you run an online campaign you don’t need the trappings of a traditional campaign, such as campaign managers and funding. It can all be done virally, which is what I’m doing. It’s a lot less expensive, and can be way more powerful. . . Just ask Barack Obama.

You ran for mayor in 2006. How did you do and what did you learn?

I think I came in eighth. (Romanov received 3,108 votes). The Toronto Star was buying my business though, and I ended up stepping aside during the campaign. (Torstar bought Romanov’s InsuranceHotline.com.)

You, like other mayoralty candidates, are talking about road construction, except you see the Internet as part of the solution.

Construction is really hurting business and it should not be during rush hour. It’s just too much. When the construction affects businesses, the city should have a website that directs visitor traffic to these businesses to make up for their interruption of foot traffic.

In addition to your Internet focus, you have proposals dealing with culture. One of them involves parking tickets.

Drivers could use their parking tickets to purchase art work. The artist keeps the money and sends the ticket to city hall to show it’s been paid. This will encourage people to purchase art instead of just paying the city and getting nothing for it.

Describe some of the highlights on your resume?

I’ve been an entrepreneur almost since I was born. At three, I sold sculptures that I made. One neighbour always bought them. I worked in the marketing department at Expo ’86 in Vancouver and had a travel TV show on Rogers Cable and hosted an insurance-related program on City TV. In 1994, I began my Internet career. I was also a columnist in the Star’s Wheels section and wrote a book called Car Carma, about tickets driving insurance and the law.

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